How to Use a French Press [The Ultimate Guide to a Perfect Brew]

If you’re even
peripherally aware of coffee then you’ll have heard of a French press, even if
you’ve never used one. And there’s a good reason for that – it’s world famous.
In this guide we’re going to teach you how to use a French press and make
perfect coffee every time.

The French press is
perhaps the most ubiquitous brewing method currently available. Its simplicity,
functionality and affordability, make it one of the most popular ways of
brewing delicious, complex coffee in the home.

A Short
History of the French Press

With a name like the French press you’d be forgiven for thinking that this device was conceived of in France. In fact it, like espresso, is the result of Italian ingenuity. Patented by Milanese designer Attilio Calimani in 1929, the coffee brewing device underwent some fundamental changes before transforming into the classic design we know today.

The French press really took off in Europe after appearing in the Michael Caine film, The Ipcress File, in 1965. Its proliferation was further aided by the Danish homeware company Bodum, which still produces some of the best and most well known French presses today.

The French press
goes by many different names. It’s called Stempelkanne in Germany, coffee plunger in South Africa and Australia, and cafetière in French.

Whatever you call
it, we’re guessing you’re here because you’re interested in learning how to use
a French press properly.

And with that in
mind, let’s get stuck in.

French
Press vs Other Brewing Methods: What’s Different?

At first glance it’s obvious that the French press is quite different from other brewing methods. While beakers and carafes abound in all manners of coffee production, the plunger is the part of the French press design that really stands out. And it’s the plunger that provides it with an effective and idiosyncratic method of producing coffee.

The plunger
consists of a handle, a lid and coarse metal filter that separates coffee
grounds from the liquid after extraction. This apparatus allows the natural
oils present in the coffee bean to remain in the final brew, resulting in a
rich and robust flavor and body.

Unlike other
brewing methods, it allows for effortless separation of grounds from brew, and
complete control over brewing variables simultaneously. The brewer is able to
control precisely the amount of coffee and water used, as well as the time the
mixture spends steeping.

For most other
brewing methods such as pour over, the Aeropress and drip coffee, the
extraction occurs as water is poured through the grinds. With the French press,
however, the grinds are submerged and integrated with the water, and allowed to
steep for several minutes. This complete immersion allows for a much more
complete extraction, oils included, and ultimately a richer, stronger and more
complex final brew.

Because of this
immersion extraction method, the type of grind used for the French press is
slightly different too. Whereas other methods favor finer or coarser grinds,
the ideal grind for a French press is medium coarse.

This gives the
coffee particles a larger surface area, allowing more flavors to be extracted.
If the grind is too fine you run the risk of transforming your final brew into
a thick sludge. Too coarse and you’re not going to achieve an adequate
extraction.

This complete
immersion is ultimately an advantage that the French press has over other
methods, as it allows for a uniform and consistent extraction. This downside,
however, is over-extraction can easily occur, resulting in an extremely bitter
brew.

It’s therefore
important to keep an eye on the time to ensure you don’t leave it steeping for
too long.

For a precise breakdown on how French press compares to other brewing methods, check out these articles we’ve written:

What
You Need to Make French Press

The French press’ popularity is due in part to
its simplicity. You don’t need a fancy gooseneck kettle, disposable filters or
even electricity to make a decent brew. In its most basic form you can make
delicious French press with nothing more than coffee and water.

That being said, if you’re a true coffee geek
then you’ll know there are always ways to take it to the next level. Many
brewers appreciate that the French press gives you full control over all the
brewing variables. This means that with the right tools you can easily fine
tune your brew to your exact specifications.

Minimum Requirements

Hot Water

Ground Coffee

French Press

Optimal Requirements

Scale for measuring

Burr grinder

Timer

Thermometer

When learning how to use a French press you’re
ideally going to want to be running an optimal setup, complete with a scale,
grinder, timer and thermometer. Yielding these tools correctly will allow you
to create a significantly higher quality cup of coffee.

Let’s take a closer look at what these tools
can do for you:

Scale

A scale will allow you to both precisely
measure your coffee grinds as well as the exact amount of water you need. You
don’t exactly need aerospace technology, but you do want something functional
and accurate. Some of our recommendations include:

Grinder

A good grinder is imperative for all styles of
coffee. Grind size is one of the most important factors when it comes to
producing great coffee, and a good grinder is going to facilitate that.

For consistent, uniform grinds every time, we
recommend eschewing blade grinders altogether. While convenient, they lack any
sort of specificity and will hack your beautiful beans into an uneven mess.
Where possible, always stick to a burr grinder.

For a more in-depth look at the best grinders
for the job, check out these two articles we wrote about the subject:

Timer

As we mentioned above, the amount of time that
your grinds steep for is going to have a big impact on the final flavor of your
coffee. It’s therefore important to know exactly how long the mixture has been
brewing.

Keep it simple. Many scales will come built in
with its own timer, but if it doesn’t or you don’t have a scale, simply use
your mobile device instead.

Thermometer

A thermometer ensures your water is the
perfect temperature before it gets added to your grinds. If you’re someone who
likes a latte or cappuccino, you can also use it to ensure that your milk
doesn’t burn. We can recommend the following:

French
Press Grind: How to Get it Right

Before we get into
a detailed breakdown of how to use a French press, we’re going to lay out some
things you should know beforehand. Specifically, we’re going to take a look at
the ratio of water to coffee when brewing with a French press.

A French press
commonly comes in 12oz and 34oz varieties, enough for three or eight cups of
great, strong coffee respectively.

But what is great
coffee? For that matter what is strong coffee? These questions all largely
depend on your taste and proclivities, so we’ve provided a table to help
determine what the correct ratio is for you.

Strength

Coffee needed for 12oz (3-cup)

Coffee needed for 34oz (8-cup)

Weak

18g or three tablespoons

55g or nine tablespoons

Medium

23g or four tablespoons

68g or 11 tablespoons

Strong

30g or five tablespoons

89g or 15 tablespoons

Water
Volume

If you’re using a 12oz, or three cup, then you’re going to need 300g of water.

As for a 34oz – or eight cup – then you’re going to need 900g of water.

If you’re just a
casual coffee drinker then you’re probably never going to want to make your
coffee stronger than medium. However, if you’re someone who needs equal parts
caffeine to nitrogen in your bloodstream to simply get out of bed, then go for
strong.

Just be warned that
strong French press rivals espresso when it comes to caffeine content… and
might make you vibrate.

How To
Use French Press: Step by Step

You’ve gathered all
your ingredients and equipment and you’re ready to learn how to use a French
press. Awesome.

Below we’re going
to demonstrate how to make the perfect brew under optimal conditions with the
most sophisticated equipment. B don’t worry if you’re not kitted out! We’re
also going to show you how to use a French press if all you have are the bare
essentials.

Getting
a French Press

First thing’s first
– you need a French press. We could go into a lot of details about what makes a
great French press, but for simplicity sake we’re just going to list our
favorites:

For the purposes of
this tutorial all of the measurements used are for the 34oz or 8 cup French
press. If you decide to use a smaller-sized French press, simply alter your
measurements according to our water-to-coffee ratio table above, but the
methodology stays the same.

And without any
further ado, here’s how to make the ultimate French press:

Heat
Water

Heating water is
the most time consuming part of the brewing process, so it’s advised to do it
first. You can use any conventional kettle to do this; all it needs to do is be
able to bring water to the boil. The ideal temperature for water should be
between 195 and 205 degrees fahrenheit.

If you have a
kettle with variable temperature control, then simply set it to heat your water
to 200 degrees. If you’re just using an ordinary kettle, simply boil then water
and let it rest for between three and four minutes. This should bring it down
to roughly the desired temperature, although if you’re still not sure then use
a thermometer.

It’s worth noting
that water makes up the majority of your final brew, so it’s worth using the
very best you can get your hands on. Filtered water with a high mineral content
is ideal, but normal tap water will still work if none is available.

Measure
and Grind your Coffee

If you’re using
pre-ground coffee (which we don’t recommend) then you can go ahead and skip the
grinding phase. If you’re grinding your coffee, however, now is the time to get
out your scale and grinder.

Using the above
water-to-ratio table, determine how strong you want your coffee according to
the size of your French press, then measure out your coffee beans. Next, grind
the beans to a medium to medium coarse consistency.

Preheat
your French Press

This step isn’t
crucial, but it does go a long way towards retaining heat and ensuring that no
foreign particles make their way into your final brew. Simply add boiling water
to the French press before use, swirl it around then dispose of it.

This will ensure
that the glass of the beaker will be at the same temperature as the water
you’re about to add. It will also break up any and get rid of old loose coffee
particles if the French press hasn’t been used in a while.

Add
Grinds and Hot Water

Take the coffee you
ground earlier and add it to the beaker. Shake the grounds once or twice to
ensure that they coat the bottom of the French press evenly. Then place the
carafe on your scale and set it to zero.

Next, use a small
amount of hot water to wet the grinds. This is a process called “blooming” and
it allows excess carbon dioxide to escape before the actual extraction begins.

Once your water has
reached the optimal temperature, pour it into the carafe quickly, taking care
to saturate all coffee grounds. Use the scale to ensure you add 900g of water
(for a 34oz French press). If you don’t have a scale, simply decant the water
into a measuring cup and then add it to your French press.

Stir
and Steep

Using a stirrer,
gently agitate the water to ensure that the coffee grounds are fully integrated
with the water. Place the plunger on top of the beaker but don’t press it just
yet. As a general rule, you should always place the plunger on top of the
beaker when you’re not actively using it to retain heat.

Next, set your
timer (or phone) to 3:30 and begin the countdown. Remember, be very precise
here. If your coffee steeps for too long, you run the risk of over extraction
and a very bitter final brew.

Press

Once the mixture has steeped for three and a
half minutes, gently press the plunger until the metal filter touches the
bottom of the beaker.

Gauge the resistance during this process; it
should put up a moderate fight. If there’s no resistance then your coffee is
likely too coarse, if it’s difficult to plunge then you ground it too fine.

Decant

Again, this isn’t a
crucial step. You could stop here and already be enjoying your French press.
However, decanting your final brew will prevent further extraction from those
grounds trapped at the bottom.

This could be a problem
if you’re using a 34oz French press. The high volume of coffee being produced
means that some brew is likely to sit in the beaker for some time. Decanting
your coffee separates it from the grounds, halting extraction, and maintaining
a uniform and unchanged flavor profile.

Pour
and Enjoy

This step is pretty
self explanatory. You’ve learned how to make some delicious French press, and
now it’s time to taste the fruits of your labor. Enjoy!

Pressed for
Time

Is this your first time learning how to use a
French press? Is so, let us know what you think below! Does it know the socks
off your everyday cup of Joe or is it simply meh?

Martin Stokes hails from Johannesburg, South Africa. He enjoys writing about all manner of things and can quote lines from films like nobody's business. He moved to Berlin in 2015 and is working tirelessly at broadening his repertoire of bad jokes.